Method for finishing full-fashioned brassiere blanks



Sept. 8, 1970 g BRAXTON ETAL 3,527,858

' METHOD FOR FINISHING FULL-FASHIONED BRASSIERE BLANKS Filed Feb. 12, I968 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR:

.21 g=5 RALPH C. BRAxToN and ATTORNEY;

Sept. 8, 1970 I v BRAXTON ETAL 3,527,858

METHOD FOR FINISHING FULL -FASHIONED BRASSIERE BLANKS Filed Feb.

55 Sheets-Sheet Sept 8, 1970 BRAXTON ETAL 3,527,858

' METHOD FOR FINISHING FULL-FASHIONED BRASSIERE BLANKS Filed Feb. 12, 1968 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 EALPH C. BRAXTON and EONARB E. PHI LLIPFME- YMIMZ 1% ATTORNEYS United States Patent Oflice 3,527,858 Patented Sept. 8, 1970 3,527,858 METHOD FOR FINISHING FULL-FASHIONED BRASSIERE BLANKS Ralph C. Braxton and Leonard E. Phillippie, Burlington,

N.C., assignors to Alamance Industries, Inc., Burlington, N.C., a corporation of North Carolina Filed Feb. 12, 1968, Ser. No. 704,615 Int. Cl. B29c 27/24, 17/10, 17/03 U.S. Cl. 264--161 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Pairs of full-fashioned brassiere blanks knit of thermoplastic yarn are sewn together along opposed sides to form elongate tubes which are positioned on shaped boarding form members and maintained in a smooth and uniformly tensioned condition while they are heat-set. The boarding form members are supported for movement between side-by-side and overlapping positions to facilitate the donning and dofling of the sewn together brassiere blanks.

This invention relates generally to a method of finishing full-fashioned brassiere blanks knit of thermoplastic yarn, and more particularly to a method for maintaining full-fashioned knitted brassiere blanks in a smooth and uniformly tensioned condition while the desired shape is heat-set therein.

It is known to form brassieres of knitted full-fashioned blanks which are knit of thermoplastic yarn and are fashioned during the knitting operation to form integrally formed breast cups or pockets therein. Because of the unstable nature of the knit fabric and the irregular surface presented by the breast pocket bulges in the blanks, it is difficult to maintain the blanks in unwrinkled position during boarding. It is also diflicult to accurately trim and apply the binding and support straps to the blanks on a production basis.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a boarding form method in which the brassiere blanks are maintained in smooth unwrinkled condition during the heat-setting operation.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a boarding form method having means for holding successive brassiere blanks in the same position thereon so that the same shape will be heat-set in each successive blank boarded thereon.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a boarding form method which permits easy dofiing and donning of the brassiere blanks and permits the accurate positioning of the brassiere blanks on the boarding form at an economical production rate.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a method of boarding fashioned brassiere blanks which includes sewing opposite side edges of a pair of brassiere blanks together to form an elongate tube, boarding the brassiere blanks while in tubular form, and then separating the brassiere blanks before attaching the bindings and support straps to finish the brassiere.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a method of finishing a fashioned brassiere blank which includes positioning the boarded brassiere blank in a template so that the blank is held in the proper position while it is either marked or trimmed to guide the sewing machine operator in attaching the bindings and support straps in the proper positions thereon.

Some of the objects of the invention having been stated, other objects will appear as the description proceeds when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which- FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a fashioned brassiere blank of the type which is to be heat-set and boarded on the apparatus of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a view illustrating the manner in which a pair of brassiere blanks are sewn together along opposite side portions to form an elongate tube, prior to boarding;

FIG. 3 is an isometric view of a conventional type steam cabinet with a plurality of boarding forms suitably supported for movement into and out of the cabinet;

FIG. 4 is an isometric view of the boarding form of the present invention, being positioned to receive a pair of sewn together brassiere blanks thereon;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 and illustrating the sewn together brassiere blanks positioned on the shaped form members;

FIG. 6 is a "view similar to FIG. 5 and showing the boarding form in position to be moved into the steam cabinet;

FIG. 7 is an isometric view of the reverse side of the boarding form shown in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view taken substantially along the line 8-8 in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is an exploded isometric view of one type of template device for accurately marking the edge portions of the boarded brassiere blank;

FIG. 10 is a view similar to FIG. 9 but illustrating the brassiere blank being held in position while it is being marked;

FIG. 11 is an exploded isometric view of a template device for accurately trimming the edge portions of the boarded brassiere blank; and

FIG. 12 is a view similar to FIG. 11 but illustrating the brassiere blank being held in position while it is being trimmed by a heated wire type cutter or trimmer.

The boarding form F (FIGS. 4-7) generally includes a rectangular main body plate 10 which is removably connected at its lower end to a lazy-tong type track 11. Pairs of these tracks 11 are supported for movement outwardly from opposite sides of a conventional steam cabinet 12 (FIG. 3) of the type normally used in boarding ladies hosiery and the like. The lazy-tong type track 11 causes the boarding forms F to be separated as they move outwardly from the steam cabinet 12, as shown in FIG. 3, and to be drawn close together as they move inwardly to to moved into the steam cabinet.

A first elongate form member 13 is fixed at its lower end to one leaf of a hinge 14 which is in turn fixed on the main body plate 10 (FIG. 4). The outer edge of the first form member 13 is shaped to provide an outwardly curved or bulging medial portion 15 and the inner edge is provided with upper and lower semi-circular notches 16, 17 which are aligned with and adapted to mate with one-half of upper and lower breast cup receiving circular openings 18, 19 in the main body plate 10.

A spacer plate 20 and one end portion of a pivot plate 21 are suitably fixed on the lower end of the first form member 13. The other end of the pivot plate 21 extends beyond the inner edge of the form member 13 and the lower end of a second form member 22 is pivotally supported thereon, as by a screw 23. The inner edge of the second form member 22 is provided with upper and lower semi-circular notches 24, 25 which are adapted to align and mate with the breast cup receiving openings 18, 19 in the main body plate 10* when the form members 13, 22 are positioned in side-by-side relationship.

The spacer plate 20 also acts as a stop to limit overlapping movement of the upper end of the form member 22 over the form member 13, as shown in FIG. 4. A stop screw 26 penetrates a hole in the form member 13 and its inner end is threaded into the body plate 10'. An enlarged head is provided on the outer end of the screw 26 which limits outward swinging movement of the form members 13, 22 away from the body plate 10.

An alignment plate 30 is fixed on the upper portion of the form member 13 and extends beyond the inner edge thereof, for purposes to be presently described. Upper and lower pairs of positioning pins 31, 32 are fixed at their inner ends in the body plate 10 and have sharpened outer free ends. Upper and lower latch posts 33, 34 are fixed at their inner ends in the body plate 10 and are positioned adjacent the outer edge of the form member 13.

A mold support panel 40 is supported for swinging movement on the main body plate 10, as by hinges 41, 42 and a pair of conical or generally breast shaped molds 44, 45 are secured to the inner surface of the panel 40 and positioned in alignment with the respective openings 18, 19 in the body plate 10. Upper and lower latch arms 46, 47 are pivotally supported at their inner ends on the outer surface of the panel 40 (FIG. 6).

When the plate 40 is moved to the closed position shown in FIG. 6, the latch posts 33, 34 pass through holes 48, 49 in the plate 40 and the latch arms 46, 47 move into locking notches, not shown, in the latch posts 33, 34 to lock the panel 40 in closed position. A positioning pin 50 (FIG. 8) is fixed at its inner end in the body plate 10 and centrally between the openings 18, 19. The free end of the pin 50 is sharpened so that the portions between the breast cups of the brassiere blanks may be impaled thereon, in a manner to be presently described.

As shown in FIG. 1, the full-fashioned brassiere blank 51 is elongated and includes fashioned breast-receiving cups or pockets A and B in the medial portion thereof and angularly disposed integral band portions C and D at opposite ends thereof. Pairs of the brassiere blanks 51, 51 are stitched together along opposed side edges by lines of stitching 52. In FIG. 2, the lower edge portions of the brassiere blanks 51, 51 are separated to show portions of each of the blanks. The lines of stitching 52 form an elongate tube of the two brassiere blanks and the central portion, in the area of the breast cups, is larger than the opposite end portions.

Before placing the connected brassiere blanks 51, 51 on the boarding form F, the upper end of the second form member 22 (FIG. 4) is moved into overlying relationship with the upper end of the first form member 13 so that the tubular brassiere blanks 51, 51' may be easily drawn down onto a medial position on the form members 13, 22. The upper end of the form member 22 is then moved back into side-by-side position with the upper end of the form member 13. The plate 30 overlaps the inner edge portion of the form member 22 so that the inner edges of these two form members are maintained in side-by-side position, as shown in FIG. 5. The width of the form members is sufiicient to uniformly tension the elongate tube in a transverse direction.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, the excess fabric in the areas of the fashioned breast pockets A, A and B, B is loose and slack. The upper opposed edge portions of the blanks are impaled on the upper positioning pins 31 while the lower opposed edge portions are impaled on the lower positioning pins 32. The pins 31, 32 are positioned closely adjacent opposite sides of the form members 13, 22 and the distance between them is sufficient to uniformly tension and stretch the blanks in a longitudinal direction. The exact centers of the blanks, between the breast cups A, A and B, B, are impaled on the center positioning pin 50 to thereby properly center and maintain the breast cup areas above the openings formed by the corresponding semi-circular notches 16, 24 and 17, 25, and above the corresponding openings 18, 19 in the body plate 10.

The panel 40 is then swung from the open position shown in FIG. to the closed position shown in FIG. 6 to overlie the form members 13, 22, while the shaped molds 44, 45 move the breast cups through the corresponding openings 18, 19 and expand them under uniform tension and maintain the same in the desired shape during the heat-setting operation. The panel 40 is held in this closed position by the latching arms 46, 47 as they engage notches, not shown, in the latch posts 33, 34.

When the brassiere blanks are placed on each of the boarding forms F at one side of the steam cabinet 12, as shown in FIG. 3, these forms are moved into the steam box 12 for the heat-setting operation. During the heat-setting operation, the operator may be doffing and donning another set of boarding forms at the other side of the steam cabinet 12. In order to dotf the heat-set brassiere blanks from the boarding form, the latch arms 46, 47 are released so that the panel 40 may swing to the open position shown in FIG. 5. The upper end of the form member 22 is overlapped with the upper end of the form member 13, as shown in FIG. 4, and the fabric is removed from the positioning pins 31, 32 and 50 so that the boarded tube may be easily slipped up and off the upper ends of the form members 13 and 22.

If the brassiere blanks are to be dyed, before they are formed into brassieres, the blanks will remain sewn together during the dyeing operation and then be subjected to a second boarding operation on the forms before they are separated to form the body portions of the brassieres. Thus, the elongate tubes may be pre-boarded, dyed, and then final-boarded, if desired.

In the preparation of the brassieres from the boarded brassiere blanks, it is usually desirable to vary the outline of the brassiere blanks before the usual binding trim and supporting straps are attached thereto. In order to produce identical brassieres on a production basis, it is necessary to provide the sewing machine operator with some guide for attaching the trim in the same position on each blank.

In some instances, it may be desirable to mark the boarded brassiere blanks to provide the sewing machine operator with a guide for attaching the binding trim and supporting straps during the finishing operation. An apparatus suitable for uniformly marking a guide line or successive boarded brassiere blanks is illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10 and includes a board or platform having a pair of spaced apart breast molds 61, 62 mounted thereon. A molded plastic marking template 63 is shaped to fit down on the breast molds 61, 62 and includes a marking template portion 64 having cup portions 65, 66 suitably attached thereto.

The brassiere blank 51 is positioned on the board 60 with the heat-set breast cups A and B properly positioned on the molds 61, 62 and the template 63 is placed on top of the blank, as shown in FIG. 10. With the template 63 holding the blank in the proper position, the blank 51 may be marked along the outer portion by following the outer edge of the template portion 64 with a suitable pencil or crayon, as illustrated in FIG. 10. The line thus formed provides a guide for the sewing machine operator to attach the necessary trim and supporting straps and insures that each finished brassiere will be identical.

In other instances, it may be desirable to furnish the sewing machine operator with heat-set brassiere blanks WhlCh are trimmed to the required outline so that the desired type of supporting straps and binding trim may be directly attached to the trimmed edges of the brassiere blanks. A suitable device for trimming the heat-set brassiere blanks in a uniform manner is illustrated in FIGS. 11 and 12. The apparatus shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 includes a template form 70 which is supported for rotation on an upstanding shaft 71 and has breast shaped molds 72, 73 fixed on the upper surface thereof. A ternplate 74 is provided with openings 75, 76 which are shaped to fit around the molds 72, 73 and the outer edge of the template 74 corresponds with the outer edge of the template form 7 0.

A heat-set brassiere blank 51 is properly positioned on the template form 70 with the breast cups A and B positioned on the molds 72, 73 and the template 74 is positioned on top of the blank, as shown in FIG. 12. The blank 51 is thus held in the proper position while the outer edge portion is trimmed along the mating edges of the template 74 and the form 70. The brassiere blank 51 is preferably knit of thermoplastic yarn so that the trimming operation may be carried out by a conventional heated wire trimmer, indicated at 80 in FIG. 12. This type trimmer fuses and seals the edge of the knit material as it is being cut to prevent runs and raveling of the edges during the subsequent sewing operation.

In the drawings and specification there has been set forth a preferred embodiment of the invention and although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being defined in the claims.

We claim:

1. A method of simultaneously boarding a pair of fullfashioned brassiere blanks knit of thermoplastic yarn and including opposite side edges, a pair of fashioned breast cups and integral band portions extending outwardly from opposite ends of said breast cups, said method comprising the steps of (a) sewing the pair of brassiere blanks together along opposite side edges to form an elongate tube thereof,

(b) donning the elongate tube by drawing the same over one end of a shaped form having openings corresponding to the fashioned breast cups in the brassiere blanks,

(c) moving the fashioned breast cups of one blank through the openings in the form and maintaining them in a smooth expanded position inside of the fashioned breast cups of the other blank,

(d) heat-setting the elongate tube with the breast cups in the smoothed and expanded position,

(e) dofiing the elongate tube from the shaped form by withdrawing the same over said one end of the form, and

(f) removing the sewing along opposite side edges of the elongate tube and thereby separating the heat-set brassiere blanks.

2. A method of boarding full-fashioned brassiere blanks according to claim 1 wherein the shaped form includes a pair of mating form members movable between side-byside and overlapping positions, and including the steps of moving the form members to the overlapping position whereby the elongate tube may be positioned thereon in relatively loose condition, and then moving the form members to the side-by-side position to apply transverse tension to the elongate tube thereon.

3. A method of boarding full-fashioned brassiere blanks according to claim 2 including the step of stretching the elongate tube longitudinally on the form members to remove any wrinkles therefrom, and securing opposed ends of the elongate tube in the stretched condition to prevent the formation of wrinkles during the heat-setting thereof.

4. A method of simultaneously finishing a pair of fullfashioned brassiere blanks knit of thermoplastic yarn and including opposite side edges, a pair of fashioned breast cups and integral band portions extending outwardly from opposite ends of said breast cups, said method comprising the steps of (a) sewing the pair of brassiere blanks together along opposite side edges to form an elongate tube thereof,

(b) donning the elongate tube by drawing the same over one end of a shaped form having openings corresponding to the fashioned breast cups in the brassiere blanks,

(0) moving the fashioned breast cups of one blank through the openings in the form and maintaining them in a smooth expanded position inside of the fashioned breast cups of the other blank,

((1) heat-setting the elongate tube with the breast cups in the smoothed and expanded position,

(e) doffing the elongate tube from the shaped form by withdrawing the same over said one end of the form,

(f) removing the sewing along opposite side edges of the elongate tube and thereby separating the heatset brassiere blanks,

(g) positioning the heat-set brassiere blank in a template with the outer portions extending outwardly from the template, and

(h) marking the blank by following the outline of the template.

5. A method of simultaneously finishing a pair of fullfashioned brassiere blanks knit of thermoplastic yarn and including opposite side edges, 21 pair of fashioned breast cups and integral band portions extending outwardly from opposite ends of said breast cups, said method comprising the steps of (a) sewing two brassiere blanks together along opposite side edges to form an elongate tube thereof,

(b) donning the elongate tube by drawing the same over one end ofa shaped form having openings corresponding to the fashioned breast cups in the brassiere blanks,

(c) moving the fashioned breast cups of one blank through the openings in the form and maintaining them in a smooth expanded position inside of the fashioned breast cups of the other blank,

((1) heat-setting the elongate tube with the breast cups in the smoothed and expanded position,

(e) doffing the elongate tube from the shaped form by withdrawing the same over said one end of the form,

(f) removing the sewing along opposite side edges of the elongate tube and thereby separating the heatset brassiere blanks,

(g) positioning the heat-set brassiere blank in a template with the outer portions extending outwardly from the template, and

(h) moving a heated wire along the outline of the template to cut and seal the blank therealong.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,285,967 6/1942 Hardy 18-56 2,580,566 1/1952 MacHenry 18-19 3,058,154 10/1962 Howard 18-19 3,070,870 1/ 1963 Alexander 264-324 XR 3,225,768 12/1965 Galitzki 264-258 XR 3,238,282 3/1966 Adams 264-159 3,317,645 5/1967 Nirenberg 264-258 3,331,906 7/1967 Adams 264-324 XR 3,417,755 12/1968 'Howard 264-324 XR ROBERT F. WHITE, Primary Examiner R. R. KUCIA, Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 

